


Day 4: Family

by Ace_in_the_Hole



Series: Bellow Diamond Week 2019 [4]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Bellow Diamond week, F/F, Feels, bellow diamond - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-27
Updated: 2019-07-27
Packaged: 2020-07-22 23:18:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,869
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20000125
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ace_in_the_Hole/pseuds/Ace_in_the_Hole
Summary: Yellow realizes the importance of Family. Through feels.





	Day 4: Family

Yellow stood off to the side with her arms crossed. With nothing to do but wait, her mind wandered. She gave an unimpressed glare at the navigation screen as solar systems streamed by.

“Why do we have to travel there again?”

Blue sat in her control chair using only a fraction of her mental energy to guide her ship. Yellow’s had been too damaged in the life changing skirmish with White back on Homeworld.

“There’s been an energy disturbance at the Moon base.” Blue glanced over, a calm smile on her face at the thought of getting to visit everyone again. “We are coming down to assist.”

Yellow was staring at the floor. Her only answer was a grunt.

“Your arm ship will be repaired soon, do not fret.” Blue reached out and patted the grumpy Diamond on the shoulder. “But for now, we have to share.”

Knowing her cheeks betrayed her, Yellow turned away in hopes her blush was not caught by Blue. “It’s not that. We are needed more on Homeworld, what with the shift in our entire society. Not to mention leaving White alone.”

Blue gave a long exhale. “Trust her. She needs to grow into her own again.”

Cold eyes narrowed.

“We’re here.”

Blue guided her ship down in a low arch. The surface of Earth’s moon was far from useful to the Empire so only a small control base had been built. 

“Pink.”

Yellow waited for the emotions to push Blue into a crying session with her along for the ride. To her surprise, only a few tears were shed. Blue rose and walked over to the teleport pad to beam down the surface.

“You guys made it!”

Steven greeted them with a happy leap. At once Blue picked him up, eager to give a hug to her dearly missed Diamond. Yellow stayed in the background, arms crossed. Of course the rebels were also here, from the overcooked Amethyst to the fusion. 

“Hi.” She allowed them one word and a curt wave of her hand.

Steven waved back. The other gems stood around with a nervous air. Still wary in the presence of a Diamond. So much for everything suddenly being fine and happy. While waiting for Blue to cease her full update on everything that had happened on Homeworld, Yellow let her gaze wander.

Every surface had a fine coating of dust and shadow. Having not been used in centuries, the base was in poor repair and far too dirty for her liking. The old mosaics still stood untouched: murals of Pink and her armies and their grand deeds. Yellow closed her eyes, recalling all the frantic messages sent asking to spare the organics, the begging to change years of power and tradition. Her gaze fell on Steven and his wayward friends. If only she had listened. Maybe it wouldn’t have turned into this.

“What do you think, Yellow?” Blue looked over with Steven in her hand. Both had a hopeful smile.

“Hmm?” Her day dream interrupted, Yellow blinked a few times. “About what? The base? It’s in dreadful condition.”

“Yes, and that is the problem.” Steven spoke up. Yellow had to admit even though Pink had changed so much, he still commanded the air and force of a Diamond. “There’s something deep underground putting off a bunch of energy. Garnet and Pearl fear it might explode.”

“Ah, the geothermal reactors.” Yellow walked about the room, explaining. “This moon didn’t have sufficient power so we had a reactor installed to gather core heat.”

Pink’s Pearl stepped forward. “I know that already. But what would cause it to be damaged like this?” 

A glare. Yet the Pearl did not flinch. Yellow sighed, knowing she still had a lot to get used to. “Age. Reactors are upgraded regularly as new technology is discovered. This one is old and still probably running on some kind of singularity. Unstable but useful.”

“A singularity?” Pearl brought her hands up to her face. “Steven! We have to stop it now!”

“Why?” Steven frowned. “How bad is it?”

“If it blows up, whatever side of the Earth is facing the moon will be, um.” Pearl faltered, unable to speak any more.

“We’ll stop it. Let’s go.” Garnet spoke up and led the team to a control panel on the far side of the room.

Yellow and Blue followed after, exchanging looks. Though concerned about the loss of the base, Yellow still wondered why both Diamonds were needed for such a task.

“Ok, this says that the reactor is cracked and unstable, but solid enough that we should be able to teleport in there and contain it. The radiation is mainly from heat and gamma rays.

Steven tilted his head. “And that means?”

Amethyst crossed her arms. “It means Gems ain’t affected. But organics are. It’s hot and zappy down there.”

“Well put, Amethyst.” Pearl rolled her eyes and continued to bring up more information on the screen. “Steven, you can stay here while we enter the chamber. It looks like it shouldn’t take long. Garnet will stay and monitor our progress.”

“And what about us?” Yellow was leaning down, reading each line of data as it was displayed. “We’re not exactly the maintenance crew, in case you didn’t notice.”

“Yellow…” Blue shot a glare.

Garnet let out a long sigh. “The radiation doesn’t harm gems but it will still make us lose form, and fast. You are Diamonds. Powerful and able to withstand what’s down there.”

“Mmm.” Yellow nodded. This is why they kept reactors in top condition.

“We will do all we can.” Blue answered, giving a reassuring pat to Steven before setting him down next to Garnet.

Pearl left the monitoring program on the screen and headed toward the teleport pad with Amethyst. The Diamonds followed behind.

“What is with you today?” Blue hissed a low whisper to Yellow. “This is Pink. This is Steven. We are here to help him.” 

A sigh. “And this is also a trivial manner. What’s next? He invites us to hang at the beach? We are Diamonds, Blue.”

Blue frowned, halting her walk. “We are also family, Yellow.”

With that, she stepped onto the pad and her form glowed, shifting her atoms down into the core. Yellow snorted, angry more at herself than Blue. Nothing seemed to make sense anymore.

“Good luck, Yellow!” Steven cheered from the control panel.

Yellow glanced over her shoulder before she too glowed and teleported. Heat rushed her as soon as she rematerialized. Already, Pearl and Amethyst were bracing against the leaking energy. Blue’s hair was whipping from the wind. Ahead, the main chamber stood in ruin. Metal and gemtech had been fused by the high temperatures and the control panels were ruined. At the center, a large, brightly growing crack spewed plasma from the heart of the reactor.

“It’s worse than I thought, the sensors must be damaged.” Pearl shouted over the roar of the reactor.

Amethyst took a few strained steps forward. “What do we do then?”

Blue knelt down, trying to get a better look. “If this is old technology, we just need to contain the core. Yellow and I can do it with our bubbles.”

Yellow met Blue’s eyes and they nodded in agreement.

“Let me go first.” Yellow flinched from a blast of radiation. “I can get close and you can finish the containment.”

They walked forward, barely affected by the stark conditions. Pearl and Amethyst clung to a far wall, eyes peering through the heat as they watched. Yellow reached the crack and held out a hand. Energy pulsed between her fingers, pushing back against the core. Gradually it spread out, enveloping the glowing mass. Blue stood behind her, ready to add to the containment bubble.

With an ear splitting crack, the core breached further. More splits glowed and threw out heat as molten metal dropped from the ceiling. It sizzled off Yellow’s shoulder pad, the new wave of energy causing her focus to wane for a moment. She focused, keeping herself still while channeling force through her hand. It was too late. Blue tried to supplement the bubble but it easily broke from the stronger radiation. 

“It’s too much! We need to pull back.” Yellow shouted over the din.

Blue stopped besides her. “No! We can do this, just focus together.”

“Blue, this moon is done for! We need more power.”

Pearl and Amethyst’s gems clicked on the ground, their forms already lost. 

“We have to help them!” Steven looked wide-eyed at the screen miles above, seeing the energy grow so high it was off the charts.

“No. The radiation would render me useless. And you are part organic.” Garnet gave a solemn bow of her head. “The Diamonds will bring them back up.”

“I don’t care!” Steven jumped off the platform and ran toward the teleport pad. “They need me!”

Garnet rushed forward, but was too late. The pad flashed and Steven was gone. “Steven! No!”

The reactor chamber was in chaos. Walls had now melted way to solid rock as the moon was being burned away from the inside. Steven felt his skin fry and immediately summoned his shield. It held fast against the growing rage of energy.

“Steven?” Blue had been blasted back against the side wall, right behind the teleport pad. “What are you doing?”

“We have to get out of here!” Yellow struggled to fight against the radiation. She made her way towards Blue and tried to support her. Another jolt as the chamber cracked further. “Can you stand?”

“Yellow! Steven teleported down! We have to help him!” 

“There’s no time! We’ll gather his gem on the way out!”

Steven was slowly making his way toward the reactor core, stopping only to pick up Pearl and Amethyst. With them safe in his pockets, he pushed closer toward the blinding light. The glowing shield in front of him began to flicker as he forced every step. 

Blue’s eyes went wide. She lunged forward, only to be pushed back by another wave of energy. “He’s part organic! He won’t just lose form, he will die!”

Yellow shook her head. “He’s also half Diamond! He’ll be fine.”

“Earth will be roasted by a wave of radiation!” Blue struggled to reach Steven again. Now on her hands and knees, she crawled forward. “Pink’s Planet! Steven’s home!”

Yellow reached out and grabbed onto Blue. “There’s nothing we can do!”

Blue pushed Yellow’s hold away, turning to glance over her shoulder. Her eyes were focused and glowing. “Yes there is.”

She moved forward, each new meter an agony. Yellow at last realized her plan.

“NO! Blue, you can’t! Not even a Diamond can-“ Her plea was interrupted by another powerful wave of energy. 

Blue reached Steven at last and contained him in a bubble, shield and all. With a last turn back, she gently tossed him to Yellow.

“He’s family, Yellow. I have to.”

Yellow’s eyes were filled with tears. They dissolved away as soon as she shed them, steaming into mist in the heat. Holding the protected Steven, she met Blue’s determined gaze on last time. “So are you.”

The teleport pad glowed at Yellow’s command, taking both her and Steven to safety.

“What happened?!” Steven’s yells were muffled by the bubble. “What’s Blue doing?”

Without a word, Yellow set the bubble down and released Steven. She stared at the floor, shoulders drooped. 

“Yellow! We have to go back for Blue! Yellow?”

Garnet stood silent as well, watching the Diamond give a long exhale.

“We have to get to Blue’s ship. We’ll all be safe from the implosion in orbit.”

“What? But Blue-“

“Steven.” Garnet took his hand. “Follow Yellow to the ship.”

They made their way to the arm ship with only Yellow’s steady footsteps breaking the silence. She sat in the control chair were Blue had just been. It still felt warm. Raising a hand, she forced the engines to accept her input. With reluctance the arm rose and took a position outside of the Moon’s gravity. 

From the view screen, the damage was apparent. Slits of light shown through the dusty surface as ridges and craters crumbled from quakes. For a moment, the Moon glowed, its entire form engulfed in a hot stream of plasma. But as soon as the explosion began, it fell in on itself, collapsing until a fraction of the size. Only a small fire roared out at the end, sending shockwaves through the ship that quickly dissipated. Nothing but a flash of light hit the Earth.

“It didn’t blow up? Well it did I mean.” Steven stared at the small bits of debris that was once the Moon. He turned to Yellow, gaze dire. “What happened?”

Yellow raised a hand to her face, unable to watch the aftermath. “She gave her form, all her energy to contain the blast. There was no damage, other than the loss of the planet’s satellite.” She leaned back in her chair, staring at the screen but not seeing anything displayed there. “We can construct a new moon for Earth so your tidal patterns are not interrupted. Don’t worry.”

Steven nodded, barely able to think let alone speak. Though he realized what had happened, his mind refused to fall into the same hole Yellow’s was now in.

“But she’s a Diamond. So Blue is-“

“Gem form detected in the rubble.” Garnet had been checking the consoles in the background, making sure there had been no damage to Earth. “On screen.”

Floating in the center of view was a pale Blue Diamond. It rotated among left over Moon rocks, the surface dull with a slight crack along the one side.

Yellow stood up. “Activate teleporter! Get her onboard this instant!”

She forced she ship closer as the teleporter did its job. Her footsteps thundered as she ran over, picking the gem up gently in her gloved hands.

“Blue.” Eyes closing, she pressed the gem against her forehead. “Why did you have to go and do that?”

“Is she alright?” Steven ran up. “Can she reform?”

“It will take years.” Yellow mumbled, gently stroking the gem while at the same time being wary to avoid the crack. “And she’d been damaged.”

Yellowed sighed, not wanting to let her tears flow just now. How would she go on into Era 3 without Blue? The Empire needed strong leadership, the touch of all the Diamonds to lead them. And she needed her too, for other, equally important reasons. 

“I can fix that!” Steven grinned up, holding out his hand in solidarity.

Yellow looked down, confused. “W-what?”

“I have Pink’s healing powers. Well, it’s in my spit. But I can give it a go and see what happens!”

Yellow had barely remembered. Without a second thought, she handed over the precious gem, setting it down next to Steven. Her face still hung in dire loss, albeit now with a glint of hope in her eyes.

“Woah, Forgot how big you guys are.” Steven eyed the crack. It wasn’t too deep, but was still far larger than the small one he had fixed for Lapis. He licked his hand. “Here we go!”

It took a few applications of saliva to cover the entire crack, but Steven managed it fast. He stood back, waiting beside Yellow in anticipation. After what felt like a century, Yellow watched the dulled azure surface begin to shimmer, the color returning. Then the crack glowed, fusing back together and leaving the Diamond a glittering reprisal of its former beauty, intact and flawless.

“It worked!” Steven beamed.

Yellow reached out, hoping she was not imagining the repair she had just witnessed right before her eyes. Blue’s gem sat perfect. She traced her fingers over the facets and managed a smile. It grew along with her tears. They dripped down on Steven in pure happiness.

“Thank you! Thank you so much!” Yellow took both Blue’s gem and Steven in her arms and hugged them to her chest. After a moment she returned to her normal passive coldness, but with a new ray of warmth on her face.

“Not a problem! I’m glad she’s ok.” Steven touched the gem. “Will it still take a while for her to reform?”

Yellow shook her head, whipping a tear from her cheek. “Unsure. I guess I’ll just have to wait.”

“Well. Thanks for the help with the Moon.” Steven looked around the ship. “I guess you’ll be getting back to Homeworld?”

Yellow stood holding Blue and Steven, the hum of the ship in the background. The gem in her hand felt warm to the touch after healing. She hadn’t seen it before – from the expression on Blue’s face, the tears shed for Pink, the moment they fought in Yellow’s room back on Homeworld. Yet there it was as clear as a star in the sky. They were all connected; from the misshapen gems to the fusions to the rock they stood on. Be it a fleck of mica or a grand Diamond, it did not matter. Yellow knelt down, setting Steven back on the ground.

“No. We’ll be staying here.” She smiled, holding Blue’s gem against her chest. “With Family.”

Steven smiled back. So did Garnet.


End file.
